AB0697 COMPARISON OF COVID-19 VACCINATION WITH INFLUENZA VACCINATION IN KOREAN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: PERCEPTION, ADVERSE EVENTS, AND FLARES FROM THE CIVIL STUDY
Authors: S. C. Shim, J. Lee, Y. H. Lee, S. K. Kwok, Y. G. Kim, Y. Park, S. H. Park, S. C. Bae, C. H. Suh, Y. K. Sung, S. S. Lee, C. K. Lee, H. S. Lee, S. M. Jung, H. S. Cha, S. H. Park
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> Vaccines are widely credited for their role in reducing the incidence and the severity of various infections. Although the safety profiles of vaccines have been proved, there still remain gaps between healthy individuals and patients with autoimmune diseases in the efficacy and adverse events of vaccinations. <h3>Objectives</h3> The aim of the <b>C</b>OVID-19 and <b>I</b>nfluenza <b>V</b>accine <b>I</b>n <b>L</b>upus (CIVIL) study was to compare the perception and safety profile between COVID-19 vaccine and influenza vaccine in Korean patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). <h3>Methods</h3> We conducted a cross-sectional study based on a 34-question web-based survey on COVID-19 and influenza vaccination in 207 medically confirmed SLE patients. Patients were recruited from 13 academic hospitals affiliated with Korean society of SLE research (KSSR) from DEC 2022 to JAN 2023. The primary outcome was the perception of patients and physicians on the vaccines, and the occurrence of side effects including flare. <h3>Results</h3> 94.1% of two hundred respondents were females aged in 20's (19.8%), 30's (24.3%), 40's (27.7%), 50's (16.8%), and 52% was treated more than 10 years. More than 50% of patients were in stable condition for recent 6 months (below 20mm in 100mm visual analogue scale with lower than 10mg prednisolone equivalent dose). COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Novavax) and influenza vaccine were completed in 77.7% and 87.6% of SLE patients, respectively. Reasons for willing not vaccinated included fear of lupus flare (56.3% vs 24.5%), worried about side effects (52.1% vs 26.6%), and not recommended from physicians (35.4% vs 7.4%) on COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, respectively. Adverse events (AEs) occurred much higher in COVID-19 vaccine (65.8%) than influenza vaccine (12.4%). However, only 4.4% of patients experiencing AEs from COVID-19 vaccine required hospitalization. Most common AEs were pain/redness on injection site, myalgia and/or arthralgia, fatigue, febrile sense, irregularity in menstrual period. 10.3% of patients taking COVID-19 vaccine experienced lupus flare (arthralgia, skin rash, hair loss, and deterioration of proteinuria/laboratory parameter), which lead to medication change or hospitalization. <h3>Conclusion</h3> COVID-19 vaccine has a worse perception and higher adverse events compared to influenza vaccine in Korean SLE patients. <h3>References</h3> [1]COVID-19 vaccination-related adverse events among autoimmune disease patients: results from the COVAD study. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022 Dec 23;62(1):65-76. [2]Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus throughout one year. Clin Immunol 2021 Oct;231:108845. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2021.108845. Epub 2021 Aug 31. [3]Tolerance of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: the international VACOLUP study. Lancet Rheumatol 2021 Sep;3(9):e613-e615. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(21)00221-6. Epub 2021 Jul 21. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> NIL. <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> None Declared.